Austin City Limits announces ACL Hall of Fame and inaugural inductees

Austin City Limits announces ACL Hall of Fame and first inductees

Willie Nelson performed on the pilot episode of Austin City Limits. Photo by Shelley Neuman

Stevie Ray Vaughan will be an inaugural inductee into the ACL Hall of Fame.
Stevie Ray Vaughan/Faceook

Coach Darrel K Royal at a picking party with Willie Nelson, Larry Gatlin and friends.
Photo by: Rick Henson

For decades,Austin City Limits has exposed music lovers across the country to intimate performances by some of the scene's most legendary performers. This year, to celebrate its 40th season, the beloved program announces the ACL Hall of Fame, which will induct iconic performers — and supporters — from the show's rich legacy.

On April 26, ACL will return to its original home, Studio 6A on the University of Texas at Austin campus, for the inaugural induction. Its first musical inductees will be Texas music legends Willie Nelson, who appeared on the pilot episode of Austin City Limits; and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, who performed on the show in 1984 and 1990. They will be honored alongside two individuals who played a lasting role in the success of the series: the show's creator Bill Arhos and former University of Texas football coach, Darrel K Royal.

“There are other Halls of Fame, but none quite like this. Austin City Limits has become a unique American institution," says ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona.

Both Vaughan and Royal will be inducted posthumously; Nelson, Arhos and Vaughan's band Double Trouble, featuring Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon and Reese Wynans, will be inducted at the event.

“There are other Halls of Fame, but none quite like this,” says ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona. “Austin City Limits has become a unique American institution, in both the worlds of popular music and television. It has such a rich history and legacy that we decided it was time to celebrate and honor the artists and individuals who made it what it is today.”

An invitation-only event, the inaugural Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction Ceremony will benefit Austin PBS affiliate KLRU. The intimate evening of music and celebration will feature performances by a host of classic Austin City Limits performers, including Doyle Bramhall II, Mike Farris, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Robert Randolph and Kenny Wayne Shepherd as well as Willie Nelson.

The 40th anniversary season of Austin City Limits will air beginning October 2014.